Thursday Wrap: Little reverence for reverend's statue

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Raleigh, N.C. — As the General Assembly rushes to meet a key deadline in two weeks, an angry debate surfaced in the House over the lack of process given to a proposal to honor Rev. Billy Graham.

Rep. Charles Jeter, R-Mecklenburg, came up with the idea of putting a statue of Graham in the U.S. Capitol – each state is allowed two statues in Statuary Hall – and his bill was put up for a floor vote without every going through a committee hearing. Democrats asked why no nomination process was considered, and they became irate when Republicans suggested they merely didn't like the renowned evangelist. The bill eventually passed.

The House was more united in backing a proposed repeal of a 1987 law that allows the Department of Transportation to create corridors for future highways that prohibit property owners from developing or selling the land. Property owners have fought the law in court, saying DOT is keeping them in limbo for years without compensating them for their land.

Two bills that failed to pass include one that would have allowed law enforcement agencies to destroy guns involved in murders or assaults on officers and one that would have put strict regulations on large-scale dog breeders. Rep. Jason Saine, R-Lincoln, the sponsor of the "puppy mill" bill said he would offer a watered-down version to see if some rules could get on the books.

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